Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I am dumbfounded as to how these cookie bars do not yet have their own little cozy corner of this site. After the chunky pecan pie bars, these cookie bars were the second baked good that I made over and over and over again in high school and beyond. I came across a recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars at one point, and then decided that they needed peanut butter and some peanut butter chips for good measure. Like most things in the kitchen, peanut butter turns regular chocolate chip cookie bars into an amazing concoction that are completely addicting.

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I made these a lot in high school, and once college rolled around I went to a school in the same city that I lived, while two of my best friends went off to a school a couple of hours away. While I lived on campus at school, I was only 25 minutes or so away from home, so I made it home more often than my friends did. I took the opportunity to bake these up every time I was home, and then I would package them up and send them off to my friends. I still remember standing in the kitchen and packing them up in shoe boxes to mail off.

They always made my friends smile – they got a taste of home, and I got the satisfaction of baking and showing my friends I cared. I highly recommend baking these and sharing them with someone you love!

Directions:

2. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy and light. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the flour is just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

4. Turn out the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

You were very good to your friends. =) And popular with them, too, I’m sure. Come to think of it, my popularity in every new office has always increased exponentially when I started baking people happy. That, or a candy jar on the desk, is a great way to break the ice!

Your blog is amazing. I am a huge oat fan and love the combo of oats, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Do you think I could change the recipe around so that the addition of oats would be complementary? If I reduced the flour and added some oats do you think this would turn out? Any suggestions would help. Thanks!

After looking at these scrumptious bars I’m wishing that I was one of your very fortunate friends back in your schools days. How I would have jumped for joy at receiving a shoe box full of these in the mail from you.

These look incredible, much like everything else you make. I can’t wait until my kitchen is done and my mixer is back in business! I’m a PB and chocolate addict as well and LOVE your use of the two together. I want to try your cream cheese/brownie recipe BUT use PB cream cheese. I figure chocolate+pb+cream cheese can’t be bad…

MIchelle, these were amazing. I am also a notorious peanut butter + chocolate fanatic, and made these tonight (added an egg, an extra huge glob of peanut butter, and butterscotch chips to the mix). I ate half the pan. (My bf, who doesn’t eat baked goods, was incredulous.) Keep ’em coming!

WOW! These are great!!! I’m really glad I took your suggestion and shipped them to my pregnant friend in another state otherwise I would have eaten them all! They turned out fabulous. Thanks for the great recipe and helping me share some love:)

Okay, come on – just made this recipe…. “Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.” – Yeah right, you think we could wait that long!!!! ;) Sure it comes out of the pan better once it’s cool, but it tastes so yummy hot! No willpower in this house! ;)

Really yummy. I received very strict instructions to never make these again! The sandy texture, slight salt hit, and sweetness of the chocolate were wonderful together. Going into the Christmas plates this year.

These are great!! I made them last night. I did tweak the recipe a bit. I cut down the actual amount of peanut butter and substituted white chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips. Still great. They were a hit with my nieces and nephews. None of them are big peanut butter fans. So this is why I tweaked the recipe. Either way, it was a success. Thanks!!

I made these a couple weeks ago at my boyfriend’s house for his family, and they turned out really good. I ended up melting some extra chocolate and peanut butter to drizzle over the top but it was too rich. I’m making them again right now, and one tip I learned was to use natural peanut butter. To me, it gives it more of the peanut butter flavor.

Thank you sooooooo much for this wonderfully delicious recipe! :) I have searched high and low for a melt in your mouth, thick and chewy cookie bar and i hit the jackpot with your recipe! I made them for my husband and they smelled so delicious when they baking he couldnt wait for them too cool down so he could have a taste, lol This one is a winner and will be added to my recipe book along with my sweet moms homemade banana pudding, i love it!

Do you think i can use a parchment sling to lift these out of the pan once cooled rather than cutting in the pan? If not, i’ll use my pyrex. if so, i’ll use my metal pan. And do you use a glass or metal pan for this? Thanks!

I decided to make these because I am a peanut butter and chocolate addict. I personally think that they are amazing and I love them. I will probably make them again this weekend. For the record, I used all organic everything, and I used dark chocolate chunks and no peanut butter chips (only because I didn’t have them). My husband just commented that these were the best cookies that he has ever had in his life. (And I triple checked just to make sure that he wasn’t just being silly) He absolutely loves these. THANK YOU! All of your recipes that I’ve tried have been amazing.

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welcome to brown eyed baker!

Hello and welcome to this delicious little corner of the web! Here you'll find approachable recipes for desserts, comfort foods and easy dinners.

I reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my husband, our two sons, and Golden Retriever.